Keeping Warm During Winter – UK’s Older Population

Tips For Keeping Warm During Winter

Keeping warm during winter is not always easy, especially for our older population. So, this week we decide to put together some tips to help our senior citizens. If you have elderly family members, friends or neighbours, we hope that you will also find this useful.

As you’ll probably already be aware, our older population are at a higher risk of colds and flu. They’re also more susceptible to heart problems and strokes during cold weather.

We can all do our bit to help just by regularly dropping by to check on them and ensuring that they have everything they might need to ensure that they’re keeping warm during winter.

How older people are affected by cold weather

Keep Warm, Keep Well Leaflet

Download this handy leaflet for lots of useful tips! Just click on the image below.

Get Help With Bills

Affordable Warmth Grant

This is a government scheme which aims to help you with the costs of home improvements. This can include things like a new boiler, or insulation, which can help to reduce your heating costs during the winter.

Winter Warm and Well

Age UK, (in conjunction with Lambeth Council) has launched a ‘Winter Warm and Well’ campaign. They’re taking applications for grants from community groups and organisations who are working with older people. This is to help them to raise awareness about the importance of keeping warm during the winter months.

So, if you are part of a local community group or organisation, or you know one that could benefit, click on this link to fill out the application form. Alternatively you can call 020 7346 6800 or email them at info@ageuklambeth.org.uk for further info.

Risks older people face in the winter

Wintery Conditions

Black ice is a serious concern. It’s obviously extremely slippery, which can lead to falls. Any attempt to shovel the snow will also be very dangerous for senior citizens because it’s just too physically challenging for them. If you have an elderly family member or friend, and they have cardiovascular problems, you should help them to shovel away snow. If you leave this job to them, this could potentially put them at risk for stroke or heart attack.

Becoming Ill

As well as the cold having a negative impact on the body. It reduces the body’s capacity to remain healthy. This, in turn, can make it easier to become ill. Instances of the common cold, the flu, and norovirus increase. So, it’s very important to eat well and stay active. This will help to boost the immune system.

Arthritis Pain

It’s quite common for people to experience increased stiffness and joint pain. This can be exacerbated by the cold weather. Anti-inflammatory foods, a bit of light exercise, and ensuring that you keep as warm as possible, are some of the key ways to reduce the effects of arthritis pain.

Heart problems

The winter weather can also cause more cardiovascular problems, like stroke and heart attack. This is because the colder conditions force your heart to work extra hard to keep your body heat stable. This also helps you to keep your blood pressure at the right levels. Basically, this puts your heart under extra stress! The advice that is given to older adults by the NHS is:

Stay warm

Always wear the right clothing

Keep thermostats at 18 C or warmer

Use an electric blanket or hot water bottle

Loneliness

The colder months can force senior citizens to stay at home and become less socially active. So, make sure that you arrange regular visits with your elderly relatives and friends, so they don’t lonely.

Good Morning Britain’s (in conjunction with Age UK), has launched an award-winning campaign called ‘1 Million Minutes 2017’, which highlights the issue of loneliness.

Their aim is to get as many minutes as possible from people, to help lonely people this Christmas and into 2018.

All you need to do is decide how many minutes of your time you would like to pledge and how you would like to volunteer that time. Visit their website to get involved!

MJC Plumbing Helping Senior Citizens

MJC Plumbing has been fully vetted and checked by Age UK staff – check out our listing on their directory.

We always do our best to help our elderly customers, and we want to make sure that they’re keeping warm during winter.

We want to wish all of our customers a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

Our office will be closed from Friday 22nd, but we’ll be back open again on Tuesday 2nd January.